Sunflower Chapter

NEWSLETTER Winter 2012 Vol. 16, Issue 1

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A very special program was presented at the December Sunflower Chapter meet-ing conveying a real Christmas spirit. Leona (Wasinger) Pfeifer brought the script to life one more time; a script she participated in once herself. Sometimes, something special lives on in the heart and begs to be repeated, and we were the fortunate ones to share in it. Leona narrated "Why the Chimes Rang" as the story unfolded in the perfect set-ting of the beautiful Munjor church. As the tale goes, in a small town, the church bells had ceased to ring. For years the townspeople hoped every Christmas for the sound of the bells once more. Gifts were brought to the altar in hopes that this would bring back the beautiful sound of bells ringing from the

The performers included: Leon Wolf, Gloria Leiker, Betty Pfannenstiel, Vernon Befort, Tom Haas, Judy Hoffman and the two boys, Sagan Schultz and Adam Campbell. Not pictured

was Leona Pfeifer who narrated the program.

tower. But to no avail. So the people began to doubt it would ever happen again. Still, every Christmas, they tried. One Christmas, two boys who lived quite far from the church wanted to come and bring a gift. The older boy had a coin which was all they had to give. They set out for the church in the cold winter snow. Along the way, they came upon an old woman (Judy Hoff-man) who also had tried to walk to the church, but hungry and cold, she had collapsed in the snow and was unable to go on. The older boy knelt beside the old woman, trying to revive her and keep her warm. He realized he couldn't leave her there to freeze to death; he would have to stay with her. So he told his little brother to take the coin and continue their mis-

sion. He instructed him to sneak into the church and to the altar, trying to remain undetected, and place their offering on the altar beside all the other gifts that might be there. Meanwhile, the procession with gifts began. A businessman (Leon Wolf) with a chest full of money, an artist (Betty Pfannenstiel) brought up her finest painting; an author (Vernon Befort) pre-sented his latest book; a very rich lady (Gloria Leiker) placed jewels on the altar, and finally, the king (Tom Haas)came forward, placing his crown on the altar. With each presentation, the people waited for the sound of the bells, all to no avail. The little boy (Sagen Schultz, grandson of Leon Wolf) was the last to approach the altar, quietly and undetected. When he placed the coin on the altar, suddenly the bells began to chime. Once again the beautiful sound of the chimes rang out through the church and beyond. Hearts were full of joy and wonder at the "miracle of the chimes" brought about by two little boys (Sagen Schultz, and Adam Campbell) whose hearts were filled with the great gift of sharing - and caring. May we all learn from this and keep it in our hearts. The program was interwoven with many traditional Christmas German hymns that were led by Kevin Rupp, Jerry Braun, LeRoy Herrman and members of the Sunflower Chapter.

WARUM DIE GLOCKEN LAEUTEN (Why the Chimes Rang)

By: Judy Hoffman

Social & Open Library…...11:30 Finger Foods!……………...12:00 Meeting ……………………... 1:00 Program ………………........ 1:30 Open Library ……….……....2:30 Bring your favorite finger foods! WINTER PROGRAM Our program will consist of a DVD, “Germans from Russia” that was pro‐duced in Russia and is translated in Eng‐lish.  The video features many researchers including Dr. Igor Pleve, making this a fascinating discussion on our people.  Be‐cause of the length of the DVD it will be presented in two chapter sessions.

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Next Meeting Feb. 19

SUNFLOWER CHAPTER BOARD

President/Newsletter Kevin Rupp 2301 Canal Blvd. Hays, Ks. 67601 krupp@ruraltel.net Vice-President LeRoy L. Herrman 2011 MacArthur Rd. Hays, Ks. 67601 785-628-8010 LeRoyLHerrman69@msn.com Secretary Judy Hoffman

Treasurer Jerry Braun 2223 Felten Drive Hays, Ks. 67601 785-625-6502 thegerman.jjb@gmail.com Membership Juliet Honas 1206 Woodbury Street Ellis, Ks. 67637 prairieflower@hotmail.com Librarian / Historian Shirley Brungardt 2409 Virginia Dr. Hays, Ks. 67601 785-628-1494 Hospitality Dolores Pfannenstiel 1243 Munjor Rd. 785-625-6452 Publicity Juliet Honas 1206 Woodbury Street Ellis, Ks. 67637 prairieflower@hotmail.com

Folklore Leona Pfeifer 2700 Elm Hays, Ks. 67601 785-625-6162

AHSGR is now on “Facebook”

Go to the AHSGR Website, www.ahsgr.org, go down to the

bottom of the page and click on this symbol and look for

“Become a Member”!

President’s Message….Kevin Rupp

The library is open one hour before the meeting begins and roughly 1/2 hour after the pro‐gram ends.  Books may be checked out at the meeting and need to be returned at the following meeting.  Shirley 

Brungardt, our Chapter Librarian, will be glad to help you with any of your questions.  Dona‐tions are being taken for any books that you might like to see added to our library. 

SUNFLOWER CHAPTER LIBRARY

When I started to prepare this edition of the newsletter, I looked over the first page of our wonderful Christmas pro‐gram that was presented back in De‐cember and began thinking how so many things, unexpected as they are, can change in a blink of an eye.   

January our chapter was hit hard with three deaths a three good and I need to say outstanding chapter members,  Glo‐ria Leiker, Edward Pfeifer, and LeRoy Brungardt.  Each of these three mem‐bers were an active part of our chapter.  Gloria, could always be seen in the kitchen helping the ladies preparing meals and just being available for when‐ever needed.  Edward and LeRoy were our active “bar‐tenders”.  Edward par‐ticipating as long as he could until his health prevented him from coming the meetings, but when he was here he al‐ways welcomed members with a smile and greeting.  LeRoy enjoyed the gather‐ings and sharing memories with the other members, always interested in learning more about our heritage.  We will honor all three of these members at our next meeting on Sunday, February 19 with a short German memorial ser‐vice dedicated to them. 

If you have not renewed your 2012 membership to the Sunflower Chapter, this will be your last newsletter, so please get your renewals in as soon as possible.  As stated in our by‐laws, you need to be a member of AHSGR in order to join on a local level.  So, please fill out the form in the back of this newsletter and send it in.  Local and International dues are still $60.00 a year.  Any ques‐tion on your membership dues please contact Jerry Braun, 625‐6502.   

Our program on Sunday, February 19 will be an excellent video on the “Germans from Russia”.  The video con‐tains many speakers from the Volga ar‐chives, so please join us.  Don’t forget to bring your favorite finger‐foods to share with chapter members.  See you on Sun‐day, February 19th! 

Copies of the DVD, “Eine Hochzeit in Ellis County 1881” is now available for sale from the Sunflower Chapter for $25.00 a DVD. Contact Kevin if inter-ested in a copy, krupp@ruraltel.net

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In her book entitled Das Schicksal. Der lange Weg nach Solothurn-Wittmann und zurück, or [translated title:] Fate. The Long Way to Solothurn-Wittmann and Back, Valentina Sommer writes about the serious strokes of fate that in the course of time affected the lives of her family and marked the lives of her German Russian people. Everything started with the fateful 1941 deporta-tion of the Volga Germans to Kazakhstan. She dedicated the book to the seventieth anniversary of the deportation of the Germans in the Soviet Union and to its far-reaching consequences between 1941 and 1945. The following is from a conversation by writer Nadja Runde with Valentina Som-mer.

Valentina, your book Fate. The Long Way to Solothurn-Wittmann and Back has just been published. In it you describe the difficult fate of your ancestors, the Volga Ger-mans, during the time of the deportation in the Soviet Union during World War II. What motivated you to write this book? For German Russians, the year 2011 marked a sad anniversary. On August 28 seventy years before, a government decree announced the deportation of the Soviet Union’s Ger-mans to Siberia, Central Asia, and Kazakhstan, resulting in an entirely innocent ethnic group being blamed and forcefully removed from its inherited ancestral regions. And after being driven away from their homelands, these same Germans were not allowed to return to the Volga region. The succeeding generation grew up in banishment and in strange and foreign lands. The saying that life writes the most beautiful and exciting stories is quite true. How-ever, life also writes the saddest, most bitter and most gruesome stories. And it is these, the stories and fates of our parents, grandparents, and ancestors that I describe in my book. Punished though innocent, humiliated, and expelled, the Germans were scattered all over the Soviet Union, placed under cruel surveillance, and placed into forced-labor camps. My ancestors, my parents and grandparents all experienced that difficult fate, the long road from Germany to the Volga, and later the time of deportation in the Soviet Union during World War II. In our family the past was always present. As a small girl, from my mother and grand-mother I often heard stories about the persecution of the Germans. They told about the men of the villages having been arrested merely because they were religious and of faith, prayed an Our Father, or simply allowed themselves to speak in their mother tongue in public. Those who were arrested during dark and foggy nights, all without any judicial basis, disappeared forever. The fate of families left behind, usually with many children, was thereby made even more bitter. Only their belief in God, only prayer kept people alive and gave them the strength to endure those grave strokes of fate and to hope for better times. The family became the only place where one’s mother tongue, the German culture, and especially one’s faith were maintained. No Soviet propaganda, no arrest, nothing was able to suppress this process of passing down German customs and traditions. After the practice of strict surveillance [through the NKVD] was lifted in 1956, my grandparents erected a three-meter high cross in each cemetery of the three deportation locales they had been forced to live in. The cross, welded together from steel parts, was put into a firm, concrete base, sunk deep in the ground, and then dedicated with a prayer. These three crosses still stand today -- like a cry to heaven, a memorial to all those who were repressed, were shot, or died in the Trud Army [Group Labor Camps], and to all Germans who starved and were destroyed. These three crosses stand for all those whose strength did not suffice to survive their fate, those who were buried at the side of the road, without as much as an Our Father and with just a stone instead of a grave stone to mark their shallow graves.

These three crosses are a symbol, a warning for future generations who should learn from the past and henceforth not repeat the mistakes of that past. It was as if my grandmother somehow sensed that we had to leave behind the last place of rest of our ancestors and not be able to bring it forth into the future. The silent expression of inner protest by my Oma against the policies of Stalin’s government entered into my real con-sciousness only after I reached adulthood. Those who paid with their lives for a better future for us are not forgotten. They will remain alive forever in the memories of our people. These memories of the past and the interest of my relatives and people in the history of the Volga Germans were what motivated me to write about their stories. The book is dedicated to those who died and remained behind, those scattered to the far reaches from the Black Sea to Sibe-ria and Kazakhstan, those buried in mostly forgotten, destroyed or disappearing ceme-teries, and all those interred on the side of the roads of wartime wanderings. What sorts of new experiences or insights have you gained during the writing of your book? The idea of writing a book on the his-tory of my ancestors has been with me for some time. I am very happy that I had the opportunity to speak with the few contem-porary witnesses who are still around. The stories in the book are all genuine personal stories of these people. Unfortunately, many of them have died in the meantime. Still, it is not just about life stories. The book also contains much material from archives. A very interesting fact for me personally is that in the archive books I discovered the passenger lists of my ances-tors who on September 15, 1766 boarded a ship in Lübeck and, under the command of Captain Franz Nikolaus Schröder, began their emigration traveling on the Baltic Sea from Germany to St. Petersburg. Of course, it requires time and money before one finds the requisite information. And it wasn’t always an easy process. But I was fascinated by getting in touch with the history of the 18th Century and with working on all those archive materials. Your book constitutes a contribution to

Fate. The Long Way to Solothurn-Wittmann and Back A Conversation by Nadja Runde with the Author Valentina SommerRunde, Nadja

Volk auf dem Weg, October, 2011, 42-43. Translation from the original German-language text to American English is provided by Alex Herzog,

Boulder, CO. Editing by Dr. Nancy A. Herzog.

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The main barrier for successful integra-tion is the lack of adequate German lan-guage skills. Without command of good German, any kind of consultation, contacts with the authorities, occupational training, and simple person-to-person communica-tion is impossible. In my opinion, this problem should be addressed more seriously within the fami-lies. Of course, it takes time to acquire a language for everyday use. But if the par-ents make the effort to learn the language and to expand the knowledge acquired thereby, the younger generation will fol-low their example. Moreover, positive examples of the integration process should be emphasized and reported on more intensively in the German media. A painful aspect is the fact that some youthful Germans from Russia have not managed to make it in this society and are getting on the wrong track instead. Cur-rently there are many arrangements and projects in the youth arena, but without personal diligence, without personal goals, integration cannot happen. Where can one find the secret of the strength of German Russians? Does it have to do with special character traits? The long road of emigration in the 18th Century from Germany to Russia, the de-portation to Siberia and Kazakhstan, the expulsion from homes in the Volga region, the years of suffering under the Komman-datur, the ongoing humiliations of the German minority by the Soviet govern-ment, and the frequent requirement to make new beginnings in life certainly did develop a special mentality. The strengths of the Germans from Russia lie mainly in the areas of their last-ing faith, their belief in family and their family solidarity, all of which again and again provided strength and hope to a peo-ple that had suffered for centuries. Even the deliberate cruelty of the So-viet regime during the 20th Century proved incapable of eradicating them completely and lastingly.

the history of the Volga Germans, and it is dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the de-portation of Germans in the Soviet Union. What was your own life like as a German in the former Soviet Union? I am part of the post-war generation of children who were born and grew up in Ka-zakhstan during the time of the Kommandatur [strict NKVD surveillance regime]. Even at an early age, we children also came to experience the political persecution of the Ger-man minority in the Soviet Union. In the Soviet Union, the terms “German” and “Fascist” remained synonymous for decades after the war. After the Kommndatur was lifted, Germans were again allowed to attend university. [Other historians, for example, Dr. Viktor Krieger, indicate that many were still not permitted to do so for a long time to come– Tr.] Following my pedagogical studies I worked for twenty-five years as a teacher of German in Kazakhstan. In 1991 my family and I returned to the land of our forefa-thers, Germany, and I have been living in Dingolfing, Bavaria ever since. After I com-pleted re-training to become a nursery school teacher I worked in various early childhood centers. And now I have time for writing.

What in your book might interest other readers? After all, there are numerous publica-tions of every kind on the history of the Germans from Russia? For every person there comes a time when the wish to search for one’s own identity, to look for one’s roots, takes on real importance. Following lengthy research in various archival sources, in literature, and other available documents, I composed a brief essay on the history of the Volga Germans. That was the beginning. The book (ca. 200 pages, illustrated) is, among other things, also a history of the village of Wittmann on the Volga, and is supported by a great deal of archival material, memories by our people from vari-ous time frames, and stories by contemporary witnesses who once had trod a stony, tragic and dangerous path. The book contains, for example, names of families who answered the call of Empress Catherine II and, taking hold of their walking stick, left their homeland forever. Those families founded the new settlement of Solothurn-Wittmann on the “meadow side” of the Volga River. There are lists of residents of the village for years 1768 and 1834. In connection with the expulsion of 1941, the forced-labor times in the Trud Army, and life under NKVD surveillance, the reader will find stories by contemporary wit-nesses who are presently living in Germany. In the book, readers will be able to recog-nize their own fate, their younger years, their home villages on the Volga, and familiar names. And younger readers will be able to learn a good measure of the history and their parents’ and grandparents’ times on the Volga. Your book also contains German folklore, which I find very interesting, Could you please cite an example? One must not think that the Germans lived only sad and bitter lives or were resigned to their heavy fate. Even under the most difficult living conditions they secretly cele-brated Christmas and Easter behind drawn curtains. Young people fell in love and got married. There was much singing, and there was music. We had learned the text of the songs in childhood and always sang along. Literary works were passed down orally and even in writing from generation to generation. Even outside of any festive occasion my grandmother would sing in her high, clear voice while working the spinning wheel dur-ing long winter evenings. Following is a verse from a folksong that is familiar to many Germans from Russia and was sung at weddings [translated rather freely, to the right – Tr.]: Die Liebe macht selig, macht glücklich,Love makes you blissful, it makes you happy, Die Liebe macht arm, macht reich,Love makes you poor and makes you rich, Die Liebe macht Bettler zu König, Love turns beggars into kings, Die Liebe macht alles gleich. Love makes everything equal. For Germans from Russia who have returned to their original homeland, an important topic is the matter of integration into German society. What is your assessment of this process? This is certainly a burning and timely question. For most Germans from Russia, inte-gration is a long and difficult process of social development in the new homeland.

Wittmann/Solothurn, was founded on the 3rd of August 1767 on the medow side of the Volga. A Catholic colony consist-ing of 128 souls in 1769.

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Betty Pfannenstiel and Dolores Pfannen‐stiel were presented with a one member‐ship to AHSGR and a life‐time member‐ship to the Sunflower Chapter in thanks for all their work for the chapter over the past year in providing the members with fantastic German meals each year at our annual banquet. 

The Sunflower Chapter has once again sponsored an ad in this 2012 brochure of the German Attractions & Historical Churches of Ellis County, Kansas.  A copy of the brochure is located on the website, www.volgagerman.net and www.sunflowerchapterofahsgr.net  

14 ANGELS A night prayer to angels you might never have heard before...but apparently, many old timers said this prayer faithfully every night before sleeping. Their children were put to bed with this prayer, although it was said always in German so many didn't know the exact interpretation. See if you recognize the following: Lahs fiertzen engel by mir sctheyen. Zwei zu meine recht, Zwei zu meine linktz. Zwei zu meinen kopf Zwei zu meine feez. Zwei dee mich decken, Zwei dee mich Wecken. Zwei mich zum Himmel bringen, Vo dee Engein Froehlich singen. When at night I go to sleep, Fourteen angels watch do keep. Two my head are guarding, Two my feet are guiding. Two are on my right hand, Two are on my left hand. Two who o’er me hover. Two who warmly cover. Two to whom ‘tis given to guide my steps to heaven. Amen.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!!!!

Bobby & Jessica Albers John & Josephine Braun Ken & Yvonne Braun

Margaret “Peggy” Headley Marvin & Shirley Rupp

Jude Scheck

Future Meetings Munjor Parish Hall

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Program: Pt. 1 “Germans from Russia” Fasenacht

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Program: Pt. 2 “Germans from Russia”

Sunday, August 5. 2012 Program: 2011 Round-Up Speakers

Sunday, September 9, 2012

VFW “All You Can Eat Breakfast”

Sunday, October 30, 2012

Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012 Christmas Banquet

The remains of the Catholic Church in Rohleder, Russia. Photo was taken in 2009

AHSGR 2012 CONVENTION PORTLAND, OREGON

14-17 June 2012

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Mark your calendars now for the annual AHSGR Convention which will be held in Port-land, Oregon, June 14 - 17, 2012. All events and programs of the 2012 Annual Conven-tion will be held on the campus of Concordia University. Concordia is located in a resi-dential neighborhood. There will be some housing available on campus (details to fol-low on the convention website). There are also a number of hotels that are within a few miles of the campus, all reachable by local streets. Following is a list of hotels in the area offering discounted rates to Convention attendees: Best Western - Pony Soldier ($89/94) Country Inn & Suites ($72) Embassy Suites - Portland Airport ($119) Holiday Inn - Portland Airport ($79) Radisson Hotel - Portland Airport ($89/$99) Some preliminary programs and events include: Introduction to Ancestry.com History of the Volga Relief Society Introduction to Using SOAR (Save Our Ancestral Records) Researching Passenger Ships Arriving in the Port of New York AHSGR Village Coordinator Meeting The Dutch Hopp Researcher’s Roundtable Folklore Symposiums Introduction to Genealogical Research Researching German-Russian in South America Introduction to Volga German Research Introduction to Volhynian, Mennonite and Black Sea German Research Cooking Classes Speakers include, but not limited to: Brent Mai Terry Batt Olga Erokhina, Volgograd Russia Dr. Lewis R. Marquardt & Dr. Dona Reeves-Marquardt Maggie Hein Dick Kraus Dr. Richard Scheuerman Dr. Eric J. Schmaltz Dr. Takeo Suzuki, Tokyo, Japan …..and many more!!!

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SUNFLOWER CHAPTER NEWSLETTER 2301 Canal Blvd Hays, Ks. 67601 volgagerman@ruraltel.net www.sunflowerchapterofahsgr.net

Inside THIS NEWSLETTER

1…Warum Die Glocken Laeuten 2… Next Meeting 2….Presidents Message 2….Sunflower Chapter Library 2… Sunflower Board Members 3… Fate: The Long Way to Soloturn-Wittmann 4… Fate: The Long Way to Soloturn-Wittmann 5… New Members 5….14 Angels 5….Chapter Items 6… 2012 AHSGR Convention 7… 2012 Sunflower Chapter Membership 8...Unserer Bild

UNSERE LEUTE IM BILD - Herzog, Russia Cemetery (2009)